While the quality of a work environment has been deemed critical for the mental health of working males, virtually no attention has been directed to the work environments of millions of married women, their homes. In this study we propose to examine the nature of household work in urban married households and address the following questions. First, what is the content of household work? Second, how is it organized? Third, how is the labor divided? Fourth, why is household work done in particular ways? Finally, what are the mental health implications of household work for the people who do it? Hence, our overall strategy is to ask of household worker the kinds of questions that have been asked of paying jobs outside the home. Does boring work, for example, lead to drinking on the job? We propose to use multiple research methods: a national survey of 900 households, diaries, participant observation, and documentary photography. The data analysis of quantitative materials will be undertaken with a variety of econometric methods blended with findings from the qualitative data. Finally, we hope to test several models of fertility, consumer behavior, and the decision by women to enter the labor force, all of which currently rest on untested assumptions about the relevant units of analysis and relevant utilities.